CHARLESTON, Tenn. – A Wacker Polysilicon official said Friday the chemical explosion that sent a cloud of hydrochloric acid into the air and several people to the hospital on Thursday was the same substance involved in an Aug. 30 incident that injured five plant workers, even though a company spokeswoman said the two incidents are not related.
Meanwhile, the $2.5 billion plant that manufactures hyperpure polysilicon for solar panels is closed and will stay that way while the company and state and federal investigators figure out what went wrong.
“We are going to take the time necessary to understand what accident or what incident caused this explosion and chemical release,” Mary Beth Hudson, vice president for Wacker Polysilicon and site manager at the Charleston plant, said in a news briefing Friday.
Though the incident is over, she said, “We won’t restart until we can ensure [the community] is safeguarded and secured.”
Sign up for emergency notifications
Residents of Cleveland/Bradley County and those in neighboring communities can immediately begin receiving pertinent information via text message and email by texting CBCEMA to 888777 or registering at http://www.nixle.com.